Buying a boat, any boat in fact, is often just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to shelling out the cash. Once the decision is made to go in the direction of a particular model, the expense of getting it to the operational standard you require is a costly affair.

The Mimosa 40 has arrived on our shores from its factory in Shenzhen, China, where two partners in the Australian company Mimosa Marine are permanently based overseeing quality control. As I discovered, they’re doing their job well!

This boat has been built with the concept in mind of no optional extras. Rather, pretty much all you need is in the standard package.

We took the Mimosa for a run on Moreton Bay, the home of ‘bay cruisers’, and if there was ever a boat designed for Australian conditions on our extensive waterways, this is it.

The length of this boat overall is 40ft or 12.22m bow to transom. It has a marlin board full beam across the stern that is hinged and suspended on cables. This, rather than a fixed type, keeps costs down when it comes to berth rental fees calculated on length overall.

The Mimosa sports a sharp cutting keel line at the bow and very high freeboard making it ideal for coastal steaming. With near flat conditions on the bay it was a matter of taking advantage of heavy boat wash to check stability and it proved to be well mannered.

At the bowsprit, a stainless steel CQR anchor and chain was installed on the gypsy of a Muir winch, and on the opposite side, a rope pulley was available to haul a second anchor which could be run over its own roller assembly. The foot switch for the winch was close and handy, and within a usable distance if you had to hang onto the bowrails, and a pair of inspection ports for viewing into the chain locker.

AROUND THE DECKS
This boat has a full, wide walkaround deck fully enclosed around the entire gunwale with robust stainless steel railing. Two steps get you onto the foredeck section, and on the lower level, the hull side is easy enough to step over when disembarking against the dock by sliding the top rail back into itself. It locks in place with a screw thread.

The aft and sidedecks are fully covered with the overhang of the cabin roof. On top, a stainless steel crane lifts the rubber inflatable aboard which is tied down on a stainless steel tube rack. If intent on running a tender, this is the option that will keep the wharfage fees to a minimum. The crane is easily removed from its mount and laid flat on the roof for passage under low structures. The mast for the radio and GPS antennae folds down for travel under low overhead bridges, and access to the roof is via a bi-fold ladder that drops down in front of the centre of three hardened glass windscreens all equipped with wipers.

The foredeck and cabin roof have large Perspex hatches with fine fly screens for those calm nights near the mangroves.

On the aft deck are three large hatches all with stowage space. That in the centre accesses the rudder assembly where an emergency rudder handle may be installed should the hydraulics give up the ghost. The floor of these and the engine room are lined with a heavily dimpled non-slip material that covers the structural beams and stringers which are made of fibreglass.

Against the rear cabin bulkhead on the port side, a stainless steel lined and insulated compartment was fitted with a Waeco refrigeration unit. The low profile and padded top made for comfortable seating while, opposite the companionway to the saloon, another similarly lined compartment was fitted with a freezer unit. This unit is slightly higher but some thought has gone into the surrounding rearmost rails which are fitted to the outside of the hull and protrude outwards before rising vertically. This allows the narrow gunwale to be used as seating, with the rail being the backrest, around the entire cockpit.

THE GALLEY
On entry to the saloon you will find a refrigerator starboard which is handy to the food preparation area. This galley is L-shaped and features a Corian top with flush rebated lids covering the sink and removable rubbish bin. The two element electric cooker is also flush mounted and a solid handrail is to the right at the forward end of the bench. A removable fence around this area would be advisable and, perhaps, a splash guard to prevent sloppy food spilling on the occupants of the lounge it adjoins.

In the face of the galley unit is a slide out cutting board and ample cupboard space with a flush mounted electric oven finishing off the preparation and cooking area.

A solid polished timber inlaid dining table is in front of an L-shaped lounge that would comfortably seat four adults. The edge of the table that protrudes into the companionway is hinged and folds down, and secures in place with a clip at each end. This opens up the saloon area substantially for foot traffic to and from the cabins. The centre of this table has a flush fitting hatch that is removable revealing a compartment for condiments and the like. Under the table a rack serves as a book and magazine stowage area.

Butted up against the fridge on one end and the helm chair module at the other is a straight lounge that could seat another four, although it is positioned too far from the dining table to be used there. Both lounges are plush upholstered and their bases offer extensive stowage with lids and could second as single berths. The helm seat module has internal stowage and a sliding seat for clear passage between it and the vertical wheel as one steps outside through the sliding door. An adjustable alloy footrest on the seat pedestal can be removed if not required.

ELECTRONICS
The helm is neatly laid out with a high brow holding a flush mounted Navman 8120 chart plotter/depth sounder combination unit running C-map technology. Mimosa have followed the Navman trend with their fit up and the auto pilot control was installed close and handy along with the toggle lever for the standard fit bowthruster. In the console running full beam of the saloon, Navman’s VHF radio and a radio/CD player were installed along with a flush mounted hatch leading to more stowage space.

The map table is the flat top at the port side of the helm and full charts plus other goods and chattels will fit here. You will have to lean in from the corner or kneel on the forward end of the lounge to utilise this area though.

Polished timber features throughout the Mimosa with contrasting colour inlaid into the saloon deck and a full length grabrail runs down the centre of the saloon roof to allow safe movement about while in a big sea. Heading down into the quarters, the electronics switchboard is mounted in the wall of the companionway and the steps leading down are removable to access a hatch to the bilge and a high volume manual bilge pump on the bulkhead.

The first door on the starboard side leads into the head and shower, the latter being behind a pair of swinging tinted opaque glass doors. It has its own hob and a timber seat to park oneself when trying to wash in a rolling sea. The towel rails are near the ceiling out of the spray from the handheld shower rose.

The rest of this compartment contained the large vanity basin which featured a Corian top and plenty of cupboard space below. The toilet paper was stored in a rebate in the face of the vanity unit, alleviating the need for wall brackets which inevitably knock the elbows around in rough seas.

The use of large mirrors here, along with large stainless steel portholes opened up the area making it look very roomy.

Adjacent to the head is the spare cabin which featured a double bunk with a low set pair of drawers at one end and a single door robe at the other.

The main cabin is fitted with a standard double bed with a raised foot to prevent the bedding sliding off in rough seas. A large flat area surrounds the berth and a stowage hatch is recessed into it each side. It also features a short robe, stowage cupboards at the head of the bed and more in the base at the aft end of the bed.

ENGINE ACCESS
Access to the engine room is via three hatches. One in the aft end of the companionway of the saloon features a step ladder down into the rear of the Yanmar engine and this allows access to the hot-water system and Onan 4kW diesel generator. This power plant is sound shielded with freshwater cooling and starts from its own 150amp/h battery. From this position you can crawl down the side of the engine or go in next to it from one of the two long hatches forward of the rear. One is in the companionway and the other is under the table and would only need to be lifted if major work was being undertaken on the engine. It is via these two that the engine is removed.

The bilge floor is lined with non-slip cladding and the walls with sound proofing perfboard. Behind that, on the sides, are the diesel tanks fitted with a manual viewing hose to note the volume of fuel.

Starting and lighting batteries are 200amp/h each and one is installed each side under a fibreglass lid.

The water strainer is easily checked from the small hatch with the step ladder, and the fuel filters on the forward bulkhead are visible from any of the hatches to check for water in the separators.

The 240hp Yanmar takes up minimal space here and there is all-round access to its belts and fittings. It is housed inside a rail cage and this allows one to move about below when on the water using the rail to keep away from hot components on the engine.

ON THE WATER
The Mimosa is very responsive and exhibits minimal lag between the helm movement and the bow coming around at speeds from idle to cruising. It maintained a flat attitude during tight turns and has minimal roll when dead in the water. Heaving to at the wharf, the responsiveness of this boat did not require the use of bow thrusters but, on the day, there was minimal wind on the quarters. It might be handy if the conditions were less than pleasant, but the transverse thrust of the big four-blader made for gentle docking on the day.

This is a true long-range cruiser and, as standard, is ready to go for a day or a month. Fuel consumption at 9kts is about 12lt/h. This is more than 140 hours running on full fuel tanks at that speed with a potential range of nearly 1300nm.

Should speed be of the essence, you can wind this boat up to 14kts. The Mimosa has a lot to offer the cruiser and the convenient thing about it is what you see is what you get and you probably won’t want a whole lot more!

• Economical to run and easy to handle
• Bow thruster fitted but a first-timer on the helm docked the boat easily without it

• No air conditioning in the saloon but there is a lot of glass that would let heat in
• More safety rails around electric cook top required